Could Pirates Trade For Athletics' Breakout Outfielder?
With the Pittsburgh Pirates' need for proven hitters and other team's needs for pitching, things could potentially line up well for them to add more offense this offseason.
The Pirates' pitching depth is among baseball's best and is led by Paul Skenes, who rapidly developed into one the game's elite en route to winning the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year. They're also the only team to have three top-100 pitching prospects in MLB Pipeline's rankings with Bubba Chandler (15), Braxton Ashcraft (85) and Thomas Harrington (91).
With the surplus arms and a need for more offense, Pittsburgh could opt to use its pitching depth to add an impact bat. One player who could fit the bill is Athletics left-handed hitting outfielder JJ Bleday.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand listed Bleday as a trade candidate for the A's and cited their depth at outfield in their farm system along with their need for pitching.
"Bleday had the best season of his young career in 2024, hitting 20 home runs with 60 RBIs and a .762 OPS (120 OPS+) in 159 games," Feinsand writes. "He can play all three outfield spots and won’t be arbitration-eligible for another year, two appealing factors that might help the Athletics swap him for a third baseman or pitching help. Three of the Athletics’ Top 10 prospects are outfielders (No. 5 Henry Bolte, No. 7 Colby Thomas and No. 10 Denzel Clarke), giving them plenty of young depth."
The Athletics' starting pitchers had the fifth-highest ERA (4.76) in baseball and went 43-67 in 2024.
Bleday, 27, put together the best season of his young career, looking like the player the Miami Marlins expected him to become when they took him with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. Across 159 games, he hit .243/.324/.437 with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs, all of which were career highs. He also hit 43 doubles, which were the sixth-most in baseball last season.
Bleday still being a year away from arbitration and having four more years of control also makes him an attractive commodity if he were to be available, especially for a Pirates team that rarely spends money in free agency.
Feinsand listed left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter as the Pirates' trade candidate because of their pitching depth. While he alone may not be enough to net a proven bat, pairing him with one of Ashcraft or Harrington could be enough. Luis Ortiz along with one of Pittsburgh's top pitching prospects could suffice as well.
If the Pirates are going to improve after going 76-86 in consecutive seasons, they have to improve an offense that struggled mightily last year. Pittsburgh ranked 23rd in batting average, 24th in runs and 25th in home runs and were in the bottom 10 in many other hitting stats in 2024.
In Bleday, Pittsburgh would be getting a controllable young hitter who may only be scratching the surface of his potential. If he's available, the Pirates would be wise to be in the conversation for a player of Bleday's caliber and be willing to use their pitching depth to add some much-needed juice to their offense.
